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- Patented Nov. 15, 1892'.

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AZEL CLARENCE HOUGH, 0F SOUTH-BUTLER,NEW'Yo'RK.

LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,107, dated-November 15, 1892.

Application filed August 16, 1892. Serial 1104434 2. moment).

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AZEL CLARENCE HOUGH,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at South Butler, in the county of Wayne and State of ;-New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looks for Cash-Drawers, &c. 3 and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompany ing drawings, and to the lettersv of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Hy invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in combination leverlocks adapted more especially for use with cash-drawers or tills.

Said lnvention consists in certain structural features of the locking mechanism, which will hereinafter more fully appear, and in an alarm mechanism to be set inaction when a wrong key is manipulated. The alarm thus sounded consists of a series of taps on a gongor other sonorous device 'to distinguish from the alarm that is sounded, consistingof a single tap, when the lock is properly operated to open the drawer. The alarm sounded by .manipulation of the wrong keys thus render difficult, without detection, any experimentitng with the keys to ascertain the combina- 10m.

drawer or till, showing my invention applied. Fig. 2 1s a vside elevation, partly in section. -'F1g. 3 1s an enlarged View in section showing the locking and alarm mechanisms. Fig. 4is a bottom plan view with the casing or housmg of the locking mechanism.

Although I shall describe my invention as applied to'a cash-drawer or till, having designed it especially for such use, I wish it understood that I consider myself entitled to its use in other relations. The drawer-A (shown in the drawings) is locked shut by means of a vertically-"movable bolt or latch-bar B, whose lower end'engages a notcha in the upper edge of one side of the drawer.

its length, moves the bolt to disengage it from the drawer, and its movement to actuate the boltis efiectedthrough a horizontally-movable push bar, rod,or key D,whose outer end is enlarged, as shown, for convenient engagement. by the thumb. Said. rod is pivotally connected to ears or lugs d, which project from the upper part of the frame, and is normally pressed outward by a coiled spring d that encircles it. The frame 0 is in the form of a parallelogram whose ends are shorter than the sides and is pivoted at its ends, so as to rock on a horizontal axis. Said frame constitutes part of and is a co-ordinate element in the lock, which is supported by and partly inclosed in a casing or housing 0, that is secured to the rear side of the casing A by screws passing from the inside thereof so as to extend partially within and partly without the casing A. The outwardly-projecting portion is'on the same side as that on which the cash-drawer opens, and it houses the key-le vers E on all sides except the bottom, so that they are invisible excepting to one looking from below. There are five of these key-levers E, as shown, and these, for the purpose of distinguishing from the push rod or key D, which I term the operative key, I term the retaining keys, and the latter I again designate as proper or improper keys, according as to whether they are arranged to permit or prevent by their manipulation the swinging of the frame 0 by pressing inward upon the operative key. The five keys are practically alike in construction, and are pivoted midway-of their ends and side by side on a horizontal shaft E, that is secured 'to side plates or extensions 0 o of the casing 0. At its end outside of the case containing the drawer each key is formed for ready engagement by the finger and at its end inside the drawer-casing it carries a vertically-disposed is in locking position is inclined from a vertical line, so that the upper side 0' is in the rear and the lower side 0 in advance of the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the screw, it will beseen thatjsaid screw can be adjusted so that its upperlend, when the lever E is not actuated, will be struck by the upper side of the frame 0, if it beattempted to move the latter inward by the operative key, or so that its lower end, when depressed by actuating the key E, will be struck by the lower side a and will prevent movement of the frame; and, further, said screw can be so adjusted that when the key is actuated it will be out of the way of both sides of the frame, and the latter may thus be swung to raise the bolt. With this adjustment the top of the screw will, when the key is at rest, be

- in the first-named position and the key will be a proper key. As a gage to determine the proper adjustment necessary to constitute a proper key, a rearwardly-projecting rib or flange c is provided on the upper side of the swinging frame, with reference to which the heads of the screws can be placed-as, for in stance, by comparing the lower side of the head with the upper face of the flange. The improper keys of course must have their screws so adjusted that with the keys at rest the screws will at top and bottom clear both sides of the frame, and it follows that with this adjustment when an improper key is actuated the lower end of the screw will be projected across the path of the lower side of the swinging frame and will prevent its move ment.

Whenever an improper key is actuated an alarm consisting of several taps is sounded on a bell or gong F by a hammer g, that is vibrated by a spring-actuated 'mechanism G, composed of a train of gears and pinions. The hammer is on the same arbor with a pallet g', that is actuated by an escape-wheel g and also attached to said arbor is an arm g that controls the movement of the mechanism G through the pallet and escape-wheel. This is done by means of a vertically-movable rod 71., whose lower end is loosely connected to the arm g by a loop 9 at the end of the latter, which rod when at the upper limit of its motion holds said arm from being vibrated by the mechanism G, but which when lowered permits it, and so the hammer, to vibrate and sound the gong by a repetition of taps. The upper end of the rod h is connected to the crank or radial arm 72. of a horizontal rock-shaft H, that extends parallel with but in a slightly-higher plane than the shaft E and is journaled in the side pieces 0 of the casing O. Said shaft is adapted to be moved by means of arms I, that are placed thereon, one for each retaining-key E, which have lateral extensions 2', that by a lateral adjustment of the arms along the shaft are adapted to be engaged by lugs or projections e on the inner ends of the keys E when they are arranged as improper keys. Screws 7; are provided, by means of which the position of the arms on the shaft, either for engagement by the key-lugs e or out of their way, may be fixed.

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The inner end'of each key E is forked or bifurcated, so as to have a portion extending over the shaft H above and below the same for engagement thereby to limit the motion of the key up and down. is returned to and kept in its normal position by a spring j, that is passed around a rod J, placed just below the shaft E, and has one end bearing against the inner end of the key and its other end bearing against a second rod J, placed just below the other. To sound an alarm each time and just before the cashdrawer is opened when the proper keys are actuated, a hammer L is provided, which depends from a plate t, pivoted by a screw m to one of the side pieces 0 of the casing 0. To said plate t is pivoted a swinging dog or pawl t, having a portion-with an abrupt and an inclined face projecting below the plate t and a lug or extension 71. to engage the screw m on its upper side. A lug or stud c on the endof the frame 0 is located relative to the dog If so that when the frame is swung to lift the drawer-bolt the abrupt side of the dog will be engaged'by the lug and by reason of the lug n and pivot-screw m the plate t will be rocked upon its pivot m against the stress of a spring-arm N and the hammer L moved away from the gong. Because of the different centers of motion the lug 0 will pass out of engagement with the dog, and the spring N will, being free to act, return the parts to and beyond their former position and strike the hammer with some violence against the gong F, givinga single tap. When the frame 0 returns to its former position under pressure of the spring on the operative key D, the lug 0 will engage the inclined side of the dog and lift the same out of its path until its abrupt side is passed, whereupon the dog will drop into position to again be ready to actuate the hammer. The spring-arm N extends from a coil around the shaft E, from which another rod N extends to the crankarm h of the rock-shaft H to restore said shaft and its connecting parts to the position from which they are moved by the actuation of an improper key. The upward movement of the arm h is limited by a stop-lug 0 on the side piece 0 of the casing 0, against which it strikes. It will be understood that the swinging frame 0 is journaled in the sidepieces 0 and that proper guide-plates are provided for the drawer-bolt to move through. The position of the retaining-keys is indicated on the casing O by means of a mark orindex 0 placed on the front lower edge thereof opposite each key.

The use and operation of my invention will be readily understood and is as follows: Having determined what the combination shall bethat is, which shall be the proper keys and which the improperthe screws of the former are adjusted vertically, so that when the key is depressed at its rear end there will be no interference with the swinging of the frame 0 by an inward pressure upon the op- Each retaining-keyerative key, and the screws of the improper keys are adjusted so that when the said keys are at rest the screws will not prevent the swingingof the said frame; but when the keys, one or all, are actuated the lower end of the screw will be in the path of the lower side a of the frame. Next, the arms I on the rockshaftH are adjusted to aposition on the shaft, so that with reference to a proper key the extension '5 of an arm will not be struck by thelug e on the key when it is actuated, and with reference to an improper key, so that said extension will be engaged by the lug and the shaft H rocked to allow the mechanism G to cause vibration of the hammer g and the sounding of several strokes on the gong F. When the proper keys are actuated, a single tone will be struck on the gong by the mechanism described, and there being nothing when said keys are depressed to prevent the swinging of the frame 0 the operative key is pressed inward to swing said frame, and the latter through its arm a will lift the bolt B out of engagement with the locking-notch in the drawer-side and the drawer will be free to be opened.

As changes or variations may be made from the mechanism shown and described by the skilled mechanic which will not involve departure from the scope of my invention, I regard myself as being entitled to make the same.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination, a lock having several keys any of which are adapted to be set to act as releasing-keys, an alarm mechanism adapted to sound a single tone when a proper key is actuated, and an alarm mechanism adapted to sound several tones when an improper key is actuated, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a cash-drawer and its locking mechanism, a gong, a spring-actuated motor having an escape-wheel and pallet, the pallet-arbor, the hammer of said arbor, the detent-arm also on said arbor, the rock-shaft connected with said arm, and the keys adapted to release said arm by rocking the shaft to permit the motor to actuate said hammer.

3. In combination,the locking-bolt, the pivoted swinging frame, the arm thereon engaging the bolt, the series of pivoted keys, the adjustable screw carried by each key, the rib or flange on the frame, serving as a gage for the adjustment of the screw, and the key or rod attached to the frame to swing the same, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the pivoted keys,

the rock-shaft H, an arm on said shaft for each key adapted to be engaged thereby, and the alarm mechanism actuated by said rockshaft, substantially as described.

' 5. In combination with the pivoted keys having each a lateral extension, a rock-shaft, the arm for each key on said shaft, adapted to be engaged by said extension, the crankarm on the shaft, the alarm mechanism, and the rod between the latter and said crankarm, adapted to set said alarm mechanism'in operation, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

6. In combination, the sliding locking-bolt,

the pivoted swinging frame connected with the bolt, the key for swinging the frame, the spring for maintaining said latter parts in their normal position, pivoted keys carrying screws or pins to co-operate with said frame, the bell-hammer adapted to be actuated by said frame, the rock-shaft, the arms thereon, one for each key, the spring-actuated motor having anescapc-wheel, the second hammer carried by the pallet-arbor, the detent-arm also on said arbor, the rod connecting said arm with the rock-shaft, and the forks on the keys embracing said shafts, substantially as described.

7. In combination, the several keys, the swinging frame, the bell-hammer carried by the pivoted plate 75, the pivoted dog 75, carried by said plate, and the lug on the frame to'engage said dog, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AZEL CLARENCE HOUGH. Witnesses:

CHARLES H. BETTS, DEWITT 0. WHEELER. 

